Home Bound 1.2

This came the other day with the newspaper:  We're staying at home it says. We can't do a lot - basically go shopping for food, take walks or bike - so we do spend most of our time at home.

But we are busy.  Spring cleaning continues unabated!  LR done.  Kitchen done, DR done.  Study done,  Bath done.

The kitchen?  Now it sparkles.

Bath?  Yes, that too.  Of course it gets cleaned regularly, but when did you last go through all the drawers and such?  The make up stuff and the out-dated creams of this and that?

Werner's been working on a clock or two.

And I have been sewing masks for friends and for ourselves. Next week, it will be for the local nursing home.

But today, we took a break and took a long walk while keeping our distance, of course.  First, we took the car for a "walk" since it's been used so seldom the last four weeks! We took it to Ritterhude, a small town nearby, to walk near the Hamme River.

 We parked at the train station and walked a bit through neighborhoods before we got to the countryside.  I liked this sign on a house we passed. Wonder if it works.

It was mild today -  about 60° - and bright sunny as you can see from our shadows.

We walked past newly turned fields, an old water mill, and the Hamme River, where we paused for banana bread and tea.

The bridge over the river is narrow, just one car (or tractor) wide, though I'm not sure we saw any cars today - just walkers and bikers.

People lose things along the way.  We've seen gloves left on benches, hats left on posts, scarves on the path.  This was a first, though. Yes, it's a bra.

And finally, we were back in town, coming in right at the old Manor House.  It's not as old as some but it has a moat. 

So, 7+ kilometers later, we're back at the car and drive back home, well aired, refreshed but tired.  Back to the sewing machine now.

Easter Part II

Or pre- and post-Easter.  Take your pick for a title. I'm not fussy.

Writing has taken a back seat in the last few weeks - and more - and reasons seem to keep piling up to not write.  So I must.  But I will skirt the less fun, less happy things that are going on right now.  Here in blogworld, it's sunshine and smiles.

Pre-Easter we had a short visit from René and Rima and Amina.  A visit to a local museum to check out the exhibit, a series of amusing paintings on postcards. Werner and I had visited the museum already, but I hadn't been able to fully enjoy it, so it was good again and the cartoons were especially to René's liking. Afterwards, time for Kaffee und Kuchen!  The restaurant we visited is a grand old 19th century building in the center of our sprawling city park, . Rima insists on a visit in summer so we can sit in the garden.  OK - pick a date - we'll be there.

Easter Sunday dawned sunny and bright - and we were prepared! Individual spinach tortes.

Hand-painted eggs.

Chocolate bunnies nesting in bunny napkins.

 And a fully dressed table for our brunch with friends.

It was yummy and filling and so afterwards a walk was in order.  We were not alone - half the city was walking along the Weser and enjoying the weather and down time. Here we are, framed by blue skies and colorful pansies.

Ah.


Easter Monday, also a holiday, was equally lovely, so we headed to Worpswede for another walk, this time around the local "mountain"  - the Weyerberg - all of 60 meters high.  But when everything else is at 0 meters, that's a mountain.

But, first, where are we going?  As it turned out, we didn't need the guide, we could just follow the crowds.

At the top of the Weyerberg is a memorial called the  Niedersachsenstein (The Lower Saxony Stone), a brick memorial dedicated in 1922 to honor local men who died in World War I.  It is big;  I'd describe it as looming.

And with all monuments, there is graffiti, lots of initials and such cut into the brick.

And on the way back through the commercial area (which gets to sell on days that shops are otherwise closed since it's a designated tourist destination) we found just what I need (need!!) for the pots of hostas on the back terrace. 

Kohlfahrt, Again

I have to admit, this is getting repetitive. It's the Kohlfarht again, with the same wonderful folks, the same delicious meal, the same walk with minor variations.

So do I stay a journal, which means just telling about what it is we do, or become something else. What THAT would be, I have no idea. Cooking blog? Lots of those. Cats and babies? Lots of those, too.

Forget it. As they say these days, it is what it is, and it is what we do.

So, it is Kohlfahrt time. It's one of our touchstones and it makes the year make sense. Klaus and Johanna do it wonderfully and predictably, and we love it that way. We met at 3 in the afternoon, this time under gray skies that never did anything. Though there was still enough snow around, it was actually too warm (imagine that - 40° is too warm!) and we walked and sloshed through our walk. But it's friends, and it's talk, and it's good times together.

That's the best, and worth remembering and celebrating. Here's my salute. Till next year!!

Spring Traditions

We had those couple of days of mild weather about four weeks ago, but since then "spring" can be translated to "cold, damp, cloudy and gray with the rare sight of the sun." 

But last weekend, at least the sun came out just a little bit to remind us that spring is here - calendar-wise.

And the wild violets are out as well.  They are so sweet and so fragrant and flourish in the teeniest places, like here between the stones in the front of the house and the brick steps to our original but non-functional front door.  There's another little bunch of violets between the roots of one of the linden trees out front that has started to bloom as well. And frankly, these cuties can be considered a weed since it often pops up in places I don't really want any growing stuff to be. But I just can't get too irritated about them. Next step, after picking the lovelies and putting them in a teeny vase with some other teeny blossoms, is making tea of the leaves.  It's supposed to be a traditional spring cure - I'll let you know what it cures.

We took a long walk over the weekend.  What a treat to be outside and moving and not wet and not rushed.

The big sisters of our violets were in their glory along this wall.

Along the way we ran into some hens happily wandering, too.  Werner used his famous chicken talk to try and communicate and wouldn't you know - five other chickens showed up!  We got out of there in a hurry!

And then , just a bit further along the path, we found my favorite herald of springtime - Bärlauch (ramps)!!  I was so surprised at how full they were- really, if I had known, I'd have been out there much sooner.
 

I suppose you're tired of hearing about Bärlauch, but sorry - it has become an essential part of the season and I can't seem to do without it.  I picked a bunch - though Werner objected that carrying them another hour would be a pain in the whatever - but it wasn't - and later we had pasta and pesto from the fresh, garlicky, green, spring-infused, wonderful Bärlauch.

(Later, I'll do some dumplings and sauce!)

Return Visit

Muriel and Tony stopped by on their way back to England from Mittenwald.  Bremen's not exactly on the way, but more on the way when they're heading back from a visit to the mountains. 

Since they're big walkers, we'd planned a walk or two. But first, we had to take a day and go into Bremen again.  I never mind that - we hit the usual high spots like the Bremen Town Musicians and a stop into Karstadt (the big department store) got us a half-price deal on some cross stitch fabric for Muriel and an extra supply of handkerchiefs (as in the real thing out of cotton!) for Tony, still getting over a cold.

Though I had banged up my knee a bit while mis-stepping off a ladder, we still kept our date to walk in the Lüneburg Heide (the Lüneburg Heath).  The weather wasn't all that encouraging, but getting out and moving around is not only good for the body, but the soul as well. 

Werner and I have been to the Heide several times and I thought we'd been up the Wilseder Berg, the highest point in our North German region, but obviously I was wrong.   On the way to the top we passed a lot of Juniper trees, common to this sandy region.  We call them "gin trees" since the berries flavor our martini!  Lots of flavor hanging here!

What a nice walk and what a great view!  We're determined to go back again when the weather is sunnier!  Wilsede itself is pretty much closed to motorized traffic, most people arrive there by bike or by foot and there are so many lovely sights, like this fence to keep the sheep from wandering off.

We'd planned to drive into the Netherlands the next day and hit the market in Gröningen, a sprawling and fascinating market full of strange fish and veggies and delicious fries (in my humble opinion, the best fries you can buy, and I have eaten fries from a lot of places!).  But Mother Nature made it a less-than-pleasing option, so back into town to check out the beginning of the annual Freimarkt, this year the 975th market.  Good grief. Been around a while, long enough to go from a strictly commercial goods market to a full-fledged fun fair.

There were speeches by local dignitaries and lots of folks in Medieval costume, and the ritual hanging of a gingerbread heart from the statue of Roland.  This is the job of the chimney sweeps, and was quite a spectacle - and the first time I'd seen it.  Music, beer, Bratwurst, rides - and rain.  You can't wait for the rain to disappear to have fun.

Saturday was market and shopping and packing and a last dinner, this time at our favorite local Italian place.  Good food, good company, a visit much too short but for that well enjoyed.  Sunday, Muriel and Tony were off to catch the overnight ferry back to England, I was off to the airport to check out how warm Florida still is.  (Warm, but more of that later!)

Thanks Muriel and Tony!  Next time in England!